I'm Broken
by Dust2Dust17
Summary: From Penny's point of view (WARNING: Major character deaths, ultra-depressing, read at your own risk!) Part of my 100 themes challenge: 52-Broken


My name is Penny Polendia. I have not been on this earth for very long, but in my short time, it has simultaneously been some of the best times and worst times of my life.

I was made in Atlas three years ago as a technological marvel to be: the first synthetic humanoid to be able to generate a fully functioning aura as humans and Faunus do. It took months of hard work and testing, but they finally deemed me ready to be tested in combat. That's why Mister Ironwood brought me with him to Vale. The Vytal Tournament sounded like a sensational idea to hone my skills in and showcase myself to the people of Vale. I ended up getting so excited, the first second I could, I ended up running off and going sightseeing. That's when I met them.

There were four at first. Some seemed hesitant to meet me at first, like they were weirded out by me, but there was one who looked past that, even going as far enough to call me a friend. Her name was Ruby Rose. My first friend ever. We ended up spending time in Vale together those next couple of days as one of her teammates, Blake Belladonna, the Faunus girl, went missing. We found her and another friend, Sun Wukong, being attacked by a criminal named Roman Torchwick and his partners in the White Fang. They hurt them. They hurt Ruby. I got angry at them and stepped in to help. It was easy. I could defeat them and cause Torchwick to run off within minutes of taking Ruby and Blake's place.

It wasn't until I was found by Mister Ironwood that I realized what I did was something I shouldn't have. I wasn't ready to be shown to the public yet. I shouldn't have ran off. That's why he gave me an escort to watch over me, make sure I wouldn't wander off and get lost again. Yet, I did.

A month or so after I last saw Ruby and her friends, I found her again at the CCT near Beacon Academy. I knew I couldn't associate myself with her after last time, otherwise I'd be in trouble. It pained me to do so, but I tried to pretend I didn't know her, and went back into Vale. She followed me, and after a near-accident, I let it slip that I wasn't a real girl. She was shocked at first; she couldn't deny it if she tried. But then, she told me she didn't care! Just because I didn't have organs and bones instead of processors and a metal chassis didn't make me any less human than I was already. It was the nicest thing anyone ever said to me.

Things changed after that, but not for the better. A terrorist attack nearly brought Vale to its knees. It was followed with more and more, until Huntsmen and Huntresses everywhere became fed up with it. A strike force led by a stronger Beacon team, CFVY, went to where they thought their base of operations were, but the White Fang were waiting. They caused an avalanche that buried them all under dozens of feet of rubble. It was too late by the time we arrived to help.

With some of their strongest gone, Beacon was thrown into a state of turmoil. The White Fang set their sights on them next. They attacked in full force, turning the academy into a battlefield of ruins. Teachers and students alike fell, but the aggressors couldn't maintain their onslaught and retreated. They left hundreds dead, including the headmaster, Professor Ozpin, and his aide.

Looking for revenge, a handful of survivors, Ruby's team and that of her friends, Sun and Jaune, came to us to help us fight. Though that's just what they were expecting. They used dropships to get to Mister Ironwood's ship. Sun's team fought bravely, yet the green-haired thief and her silver-vested friend were too much for them. I can still hear Neptune's scream as he was ended. It's horrifying.

We were pushed back to the engine room by then. They had already claimed the bridge and crew quarters, shoving us back as far as we could go in the ship. They captured two of Jaune's teammates, Ren and Nora. The animals threw them out the hangar bay, letting them fall hundreds of feet to their doom. I curse myself for helping hold Jaune back after he saw them fall.

What we never expected was for them to actually be crazy enough to attack us with our backs against the most volatile parts of the engines. A loose grenade was thrown by one of them, accidentally blowing the engine apart. As we crashed, Jaune sacrificed himself to save us all. With the last of his aura, he formed a shield around us to protect us from the crash. He died on impact as the ship crashed into Vale. Pyrrha's anguished wails as soon as we were safe were too much for anyone to bear. It didn't help that we weren't safe for long.

The girl in the red dress, the one who used fire and glass as a weapon, she found us among the wreckage along with her hitmen. They slaughtered Pyrrha while her back was turned. At least she could see Jaune one last time now. That was the final straw for us though. Mister Ironwood lunged forward with Yang, both of them not resting until the ones called Mercury and Emerald were dead. Mister Ironwood still fell to Emerald's weapons. The last thing I remember him telling me to do was run. I didn't. I could not, and would not, let another friend die today, especially after all those we had lost had failed. I lost it. I attacked Emerald, not resting until she was a pile of gore and sinew on the tips of my blades.

With her dead, I ran over to help Yang while the rest of RWBY fought Cinder, the girl in the dress. Mercury was already gaining the upper hand by the time I noticed. I ran as fast as I could, but by the time I got there, it was all for naught. Yang, the one girl I thought was the most invincible of the group, has fallen. Ruby took notice and let out a shriek unlike anything I'd ever heard. Her role model, her mother figure, her older sister, dead in front of her...I can't even begin to describe what she did to Mercury after that.

It was a natural thing to do, to grieve for one's loss by shutting out everything around you. However it proved a mistake. She had left Weiss and Blake unassisted. Cinder took advantage, killing Weiss by burning her to ashes. Blake went into a fury after that, slashing wildly at Cinder before she finally ended it with a stab to her chest with those obsidian blades.

I told Ruby to run, to stay alive another day, and quite possibly avenge her fallen friends. She didn't listen. She followed me every step of the way as we took on Cinder. She was tired from the fight with Blake and Weiss, which gave us the upper hand. I used whatever aura I could to use one last blast to end her. It hit, but not before I saw her throw one of her swords to my side. I thought it was an attempt to hit me, but when I turned to Ruby after it was done, I realized it wasn't. The sword hit Ruby straight in the abdomen, clean through to her back.

I ran and caught her just before she fell. She thanked me for being her friend, the smile on her face forced from everything that happened, or maybe happiness that she could see her friends and loved ones again. I was hysterical. She was my last friend, my last love. What was I supposed to do now? Before she left, she leaned up to my ear and said three words.

"Keep...Moving...Forward..."

And with that said, she passed from this world to the next.

Now, here I sit, a lone survivor in a war-torn city. My best friend is dead in my arms. All those who ever cared about me are gone. This is considered a victory; the White Fang have bee eliminated. They can build as many memorials as they want. The can sing our praises as loud as they can. What good is it though? Will it bring my friends back? Will it turn back time so this never happened at all? No. I'm still alone. Ruby and everyone else is still gone. This is a lost cause.

I see her weapon next to us. I'm lucky there's still one bullet left inside. Hold on a little more, Ruby. I'm coming to see you. Wherever you are, my friend.


End file.
